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Why You Might Not Feel Your Best — Even If Your Labs Are Normal

Jun 16

3 min read

Have you ever been told: “Everything looks normal” … but you know deep down that something is off?

Fatigue that wasn’t there a year ago. Sleep that no longer feels restorative. Bloating, mood changes, weight that’s harder to manage.


These are some of the most common symptoms I hear from patients in my practice — and they often show up in people who are otherwise doing all the “right” things like eating well, exercising, getting check-ups.


And yet, their conventional labs come within normal ranges.


Conventional Labs: Designed to Detect Disease, Not Early Dysfunction

One of the limitations of our conventional healthcare system is that most standard lab panels are designed to catch overt disease — not the early, more subtle signs of physiological dysfunction.

Take blood sugar, for example: By the time a person crosses into the “pre-diabetes” A1c range, their metabolism may have been under strain for years — with shifts in insulin sensitivity/resistance already underway.

Or thyroid function: TSH may still fall within the conventional reference range, while cellular-level thyroid signaling is already impaired — contributing to fatigue, mood changes, and metabolism shifts. It's not common practice to check thyroid antibodies if TSH is normal, which are often positive well before TSH gets out of range.

Or gut health: Standard GI testing rarely captures microbiome imbalances or low-grade gut inflammation — yet both can drive systemic symptoms, from fatigue to skin changes to hormonal dysregulation.

In short: Normal labs do not guarantee optimal function.


The 10–15 Year Window Before Diagnosis

What many people don’t realize is that most chronic conditions — from diabetes to cardiovascular disease to autoimmunity — develop over a 10–15 year trajectory.

In that early phase, a person may experience:

  • Subtle shifts in energy, increased fatigue

  • Brain fog

  • Increased sensitivity to stress

  • Digestive changes

  • Sleep disruptions

  • Unexplained weight gain

  • Mood variability

But their conventional labs remain “normal” — because disease has not yet reached the diagnostic threshold.

The tragedy is that this is the window when intervention is most effective — when supporting the body’s physiology can not only reverse early dysfunction, but also help prevent progression to disease.


What Functional and Integrative Medicine Looks For

In my practice, I use a physiology-first lens to assess what’s happening beneath the surface — even when conventional labs are normal.

This often includes deeper exploration of:

  • Metabolic flexibility → How well is your body managing blood sugar and energy production?

  • Hormonal balance → Are your cortisol rhythms, sex hormones, and thyroid hormones supporting optimal function?

  • Inflammatory tone → Is there low-grade, systemic inflammation impacting your resilience?

  • Gut microbiome health → Is your gut ecosystem supporting or impairing systemic health?

  • Mitochondrial efficiency → How well are your cells producing energy?

We use targeted advanced testing when appropriate, but also rely heavily on clinical pattern recognition — because your symptoms tell a story that labs alone can’t always capture.


Why Early Support Matters

Addressing subtle dysfunction early has enormous benefits: More energy and clarity now→ Prevention of future diagnoses→ Better metabolic health and hormone balance as you age→ Greater resilience to stress and life demands→ Improved long-term quality of life


And it doesn’t require extremes. Often, simple, targeted shifts — based on your unique physiology — can move the needle significantly.


And with a prevention-focused, physiology-first approach, there are meaningful ways to explore and support what’s happening — long before it becomes a diagnosis.

Jun 16

3 min read

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